Starter Delainy Thompson leads the Dustdevils into the 2018 season after being named first-team All-Heartland Conference last year with a 2.66 ERA in 29 games.

Starter Delainy Thompson leads the Dustdevils into the 2018 season after being named first-team All-Heartland Conference last year with a 2.66 ERA in 29 games.

Photo: Cuate Santos /Laredo Morning Times File

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Erika Sanchez finished second on the Dustdevils in batting average (.246), doubles (5) and RBIs (19) in 2017. TAMIU is coming off its ninth straight Heartland Conference Tournament berth, all under head coach Scott Libby. less

Erika Sanchez finished second on the Dustdevils in batting average (.246), doubles (5) and RBIs (19) in 2017. TAMIU is coming off its ninth straight Heartland Conference Tournament berth, all under head coach ... more

Photo: Laredo Morning Times File

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TAMIU softball returns to the diamond, hosts UCO and Kingsville

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The Texas A&M International softball team is back on the diamond this weekend for its first action as the calendar hits February.

The Dustdevils will welcome in a pair of schools to Laredo as the school hosts the TownePlace Suites By Marriott TAMIU Softball Classic. TAMIU will compete in the event against Central Oklahoma and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

In their first action of the season, the Dustdevils host Kingsville Friday at 10 a.m. before playing the Knights at 12:45 p.m. On Saturday, TAMIU plays the Javelinas at 12:45 p.m. before taking on Central Oklahoma right after at 3:15. Play concludes Sunday at 12:45 p.m. with the hosts squaring off with UCO.

During the 2017 season, the Dustdevils finished the season 19-35 as they racked up their fewest victories since recording 18 in 2012. Yet the group finished very similarly to what it had recently as the team had recorded between 20-25 wins the past four years.

While their overall win total was down, the team did have its fourth-most Heartland Conference wins since joining the league in 2008. The group ended the season 12-9 and continued its nine-year streak of qualifying for the postseason tournament. And while there, the fourth-seeded Dustdevils defeated fifth-seeded Newman 1-0 to open play before losing 2-1 to No. 1 seed St. Mary’s and 3-1 to No. 3 seed Oklahoma Christian to be eliminated.

The Dustdevils were chosen this year to finish fourth in the preseason poll after receiving 50 points, behind Lubbock Christian (88 pts, 6 1st-place votes), St. Mary’s (84) and Oklahoma Christian (71, 2). The Rattlers won the regular-season title in 2017 while LCU claimed the tournament crown.

This weekend’s play opens a 2018 schedule which features 55 regular-season games for TAMIU including 25 in Laredo. The program will continue to be tested in the coming weeks as it heads to the ASU George McCorkle Challenge for six games the following weekend hosted by No. 2 Angelo State before heading to the West Texas A&M Invitational the week after for four games hosted by the No. 13 Lady Buffs.

Last year’s team featured a pair of players earning All-Heartland Conference honors in first-team pitcher Delainy Thompson and second-team middle infielder Brenda Parnin. The latter is one of six seniors that graduated following the campaign, leaving a big hole on the roster. She had a team-best .309 batting average with 43 hits, six doubles and three homers. She was also second on the team with eight stolen bases, becoming the school’s all-time leader with 31.

Other former seniors that are not returning include infielders Ashley Hight, Anna Parnin and Taylor Vines as well as outfielders Samantha Gutierrez and Jessica Rivera. The three infielders were the only regulars in the lineup as Vines batted .182 in 48 games of action while Anna Parnin was .158 in 29 outings. Hight hit .133 in 19 games.

While they are losing some seniors, last year’s 11 former juniors now give the team an experienced senior core heading into 2017. That is led by Thompson, who anchored the pitching staff last year going 12-16 while recording a 2.66 ERA in 29 games. She is the program’s all-time leader in complete games and ERA.

Erika Sanchez is the team’s top returning hitter among that senior class as she finished second on the team with a .246 average starting 52 games and finishing second in doubles (5) and third in RBIs (19). Also back is outfielder Cassie Cannon, who was one of two players named to the 2017 Heartland Conference Softball All-Tournament Team after her performance in the postseason. She was fourth on the roster in batting average at .230 last year.

Other seniors include catchers Robi Kami and Alyssa Soneff, infielders Alyssa Acuna and Brandi Giles, outfielders Samantha Edmiston, Krystal Perez and Acacia Salinas and utility player Avianna Galvan. Giles also pitched at times in 2017 posting a 3.92 ERA in five starts.

Meanwhile, the group will also have four juniors as a part of their 15 upperclassmen. Sara Caterson is the only returner as the pitcher was also an All-Tournament Team honoree last year as well as the team’s No. 2 pitcher. She was 6-9 with a 5.17 ERA in 19 appearances. She will be joined by three junior transfers in outfielders Maddison Schofield (Barton CC) and Lindsey Smith (C Arizona) as well as utility player Summer Woodson (Coastal Bend JC).

The Dustdevils had nine freshmen last year giving them a youthful base, and although only five are back as sophomores, five other newcomers give the team 10 underclassmen.

Three of those returning second-year players were among the six pitchers that hit the mound last year including Tori Carrion (0-5, 5.16 ERA), Sarah Sandoval (0-1, 7.45) and Amanda Hinojosa (0-0, 0.00) — the latter which pitched only once. First baseman Alyssa Contreras and utility player Jenelle Rodriguez also are back after playing sparingly in 2017.